


Chosen

by marmolita



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aphrodisiacs, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Ritual Sex, Sex Sacrifice, Sort Of, This was supposed to be a PWP, Virgin Sacrifice, chosen to be the arranged marriage sex sacrifice to your soulmate, it's not sex pollen but it's not not sex pollen, there's a little bit of suggested background ships too, this is a trope blender, what happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-25 17:44:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18579430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmolita/pseuds/marmolita
Summary: "Hey, Noct!  Come on in!" Prompto holds the door open as Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio enter the temple."Is that how you receive the Chosen King of Light to his Purification?" Noctis asks with a grin.  Gladio snorts, but Prompto grins back."Guess so.  You ready?""As I'll ever be." He's nervous -- how could he not be?  In just two days, he's going to be married to the Accursed, and ensure the world remains safe from daemons.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [when the ritual begins](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680153) by [tsunderestorm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsunderestorm/pseuds/tsunderestorm). 



> This fic has been in the works for WAY too long. I started it for Ardynoct week back in . . . October? Anyway, after reading [this great fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13680153) I wanted more about Noctis being a ritual bridegroom of the accursed, and this just kind of happened.
> 
> WARNINGS: There's some discussion of training teenage Noctis to be proficient at sex, but nothing in detail.

Noctis Lucis Caelum, heir to the throne of Lucis and newly turned five years old, is tired out by the time they dress him in his formal robes and bring him to the crystal chamber. He's had a full day, between going to the zoo with his dad, fishing with Gladio and Uncle Clarus, and then eating himself so full of birthday cake he can barely move. "Alright, birthday boy," Regis says, scooping him into his arms. "Just one more thing tonight, and then you can go to bed. Now that you're such a big boy--"

"I'm five!" Noctis interrupts loudly, right in Regis's ear.

Regis chuckles and sets him down. "That you are. Now that you're five, it's time to present you to the crystal. It's a very serious ritual, but all you have to do is touch it when I tell you to, just as I did when I was your age. Now, chin up, and shoulders back. It's time to be a prince, not just a boy."

Noctis follows his dad into the crystal chamber, trying to look solemn and trying harder not to yawn. He stands at his father's side as Regis recites the ritual words, flanked by the High Priestess of the Stone in her white gown and the Chief Acolyte of the Accursed in his dark robe. Noctis doesn't pay attention to the words, though, only looks at the crystal. It's big and glowing, the blue light both dazzling and enticing. He almost doesn't notice when Regis stops speaking, but then Regis nods at him with what Noctis thinks of as his "stern king" face, rather than his usual "playful dad" face, and he knows it's time.

Noctis takes a step forward and presses his palm to the crystal. It makes his arm tingle, then his shoulder, then his whole body. The tingling pulses through him again, then concentrates on the back of his hand, twisting under his skin and making him yelp and jerk away from the crystal. It doesn't hurt, not exactly, but when he looks at his hand, it's glowing.

Actually, a pattern on the back of his hand is glowing. As the glow fades away, it reveals the dark lines of a star in its place. "Dad?" Noctis asks, forgetting the propriety of the ritual. "Why did the crystal draw on me?"

"You've been chosen, Noctis," Regis says solemnly, "to be the next King of Light."

***

"In ancient times," Luna says, spreading the Cosmogony out on her lap so Noctis can see the pictures, "there was a King or Queen of Light born every hundred years or so. Very few of them were rejected, and the daemons were kept at bay, the balance between dark and light maintained. However, there hasn't been a King or Queen of Light in modern memory."

"You sound like your mom," Noctis says. He stretches his legs out in the grass, leaning his back against a tree. Being the King of Light didn't mean anything much when he was five, but now that he's eight he has to start learning about it. And since Luna has to learn about it too, if she's going to become a Priestess of the Stone, his dad and her mom decided that the two of them should study together. Luna has four years on Noctis, though, and has been training to be a priestess since she was born, so studying together really means Luna teaching him.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Luna asks. She plucks a few flowers from the grass and starts weaving them into a crown. "Nobody knows why the crystal has been silent for so long, but daemonic activity was still limited up until about a hundred years ago."

"So what, the Accursed just got tired of holding them back?"

"Nobody can say. But perhaps that is why the crystal chose you now, to be the King of Light." Luna sets the flower crown on his head and picks up his hand, the one with the star. "This mark says that you are the soulmate of the Accursed. When you grow up, you'll be the Accursed's bridegroom, and your love will bring balance back to the world."

Noctis frowns down at his hand. He doesn't want to think about icky things like _kissing_ and being _married_ , but he's glad that at least he knows who his soulmate is, when so many others don't. "Doesn't the Accursed live in a cave? I don't want to live in a cave."

Luna laughs. "Oh, Noctis. It's not a _cave_. And you'll only have to live underground _half_ of the year, at least until you take the Accursed's place." Her expression grows solemn, and she touches his cheek softly. "You will become the next Accursed, and yes, it will be very difficult. But the crystal will send you a new King or Queen of Light, and reward your sacrifice with a second soulmate."

Noctis frowns, unable to even comprehend what it will mean to take the place of the Accursed. He's far more concerned with the much closer future. "Gladio told me that people die when they go into the Accursed's lair."

" _People_ aren't the King of Light. _You_ are. It's true that seekers of the Accursed's wisdom don't always come back. But people who have gone with false soulmarks, hoping to trick the Accursed into pulling back the daemons, well. It's very sad what happened to them. But that won't happen to you."

"How do you know?"

Luna takes his face in her hands and smiles at him. "Because you bear the mark, Noctis. You were chosen by the crystal, and by the gods, to restore balance. And you will."

***

Noctis is fourteen years old when he's given his first instructional text on sexual pleasure. His education so far has been wide-ranging, covering everything he'll need as the future King of Lucis, should he live to claim his throne. He's always had a course of study on the history of the Accursed, and lessons in Old Lucian and the customs of ancient times so that he'll be properly prepared to present himself to his future spouse. There haven't been any confirmed accounts of someone speaking to the Accursed since Modern Lucian developed, and the record before that is sketchy at best. The only physical detail they agree on is that the Accursed has red-violet hair, because it's such an unexpected color that seven matching accounts can't possibly be a coincidence. They don't even entirely agree on whether or not the Accursed is a man or a woman, though the accounts describing a woman are few and far between, and most agree that the Accursed stands over six feet tall. That could, of course, be an exaggeration for dramatic effect, but Noctis likes to imagine his future spouse to be a muscular man with flowing red-violet hair, towering over him as he goes trembling to his wedding bed.

Or maybe that's just the product of his fourteen-year-old hormones going haywire. In the end, he supposes, it doesn't much matter. If it's true that soulmarks identify a perfect match, he'll love his husband -- or wife, if that turns out to be the case -- no matter what physical appearance they take. Even if they've probably killed a lot of people.

"Because we're only 95% certain the Accursed is a man, and even then, we have no details on his anatomy, you'll need to learn all forms of pleasure," Ignis says, pushing the book across the table to Noctis. "The first two years, your curriculum will be entirely book study and, erm, self-pleasure. Then two years of practice with 3D models and aids, and finally two years of real-world experience giving pleasure, where it doesn't violate the restrictions on your virginity."

"This is the most awkward conversation I've ever had," Noctis groans, but he accepts the book.

Later that night, when he's alone in his bedroom, he slides the book out of his drawer and looks through it. It's full of detailed diagrams and reference photos, and as he looks at the pictures, he imagines himself entering the Accursed's domain on his wedding night. Will the Accursed welcome him with open arms as Luna says? Will he need to fight for seven days like Gladio predicts? Noctis thinks maybe it will be a little of both. Maybe he'll have to show his husband how strong he is first, and then, impressed by his prowess with a sword, the Accursed will smile at him and draw him into his bed.

His face flushes even considering the idea; he's hard in his pajama pants. Dismissing the fantasy, he instead looks at the pictures in the book as he slides his hand under his waistband.

***

"Hey, Noct! Come on in!" Prompto holds the door open as Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio enter the temple.

"Is that how you receive the Chosen King of Light to his Purification?" Noctis asks with a grin. Gladio snorts, but Prompto grins back.

"Guess so. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." He's nervous -- how could he not be? In just two days, he's going to be married to the Accursed, and ensure the world remains safe from daemons. If he doesn't get killed, anyway. But he has the mark, and he has to believe that means his husband will welcome him. After all, it's the Accursed's only way to regain his mortality, and after remaining cursed for so long, he can't imagine he isn't eager to move on.

"Well, let's get you set. I'll be helping with the purification." Prompto leads them down the long halls of the temple and into a small sitting room. "We'll start with the ritual bath, then you'll go to the sanctuary for the Invocation. After Lady Lunafreya calls for the Gods' blessing on you and invokes your engagement, you'll receive your well-wishers, then it'll be back to the purification chamber for the rest of it."

"We'd best say our goodbyes now, then, I take it," Ignis says, and Prompto nods.

"Yeah. Besides the receiving line in the sanctuary, Noct's gotta be alone for it. Other than temple attendants, I mean, like, I'm totally here to help you, buddy, but there are rules and stuff. I'll go let Lady Lunafreya know you're here and give you guys a few minutes, yeah?"

Then Prompto is gone, and Noctis is left with Ignis and Gladio. "So," Noctis says, "I guess this is it."

"Don't act like you're never gonna see us again," Gladio says gruffly, ruffling his hair. "We'll be with you all the way to the Accursed's cave, and we're gonna wait there the whole seven days until you come out again."

Ignis sets a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. "You've prepared well for this, Highness. The Accursed is a lucky man, to have a bridegroom such as yourself coming to him. You'll take your place at his side, hold the daemons at bay, and then come back to us."

"Only half the year," Noctis says cheerlessly.

"Yes, but it'll be half a year you'll be pining for your beloved, and we won't hear any end of whining about it, I'm sure. Be proud, Noct. You're the King of Light, and you're going to meet your soulmate."

He nods and places his hand over Ignis's, but then Gladio grabs him and says, "Give me a fucking hug, asshole," and he's crushed between both of their bodies. When they let go, Noctis isn't really surprised to find his cheeks are a little wet. He's excited to be meeting his soulmate, finally, but it's hard to think he'll have to leave his friends behind.

Ignis, of course, has a handkerchief in his pocket that he dabs at Noct's face with. "Thanks, Iggy," he says. "You guys are the best."

***

Prompto returns and guides him through a door in the back of the sitting room to the antechamber of the baths. "Say goodbye to your clothes," he says, holding out a thin robe, "because you're not getting them back."

Noctis strips and slips into the robe as Prompto putters around the room, sifting through cabinets full of oils and soaps to find the ones he needs. "So how does this work, exactly?" he asks. "I have the basic idea but the rest of it is 'temple secrets.'"

"Aha!" Prompto says, pulling a dark bottle out of the back of one of the cabinets and adding it to his basket. "Well, first you get doused in freezing water and scrubbed, then you soak in the hot bath with a special blend of oils to purify your body. The aroma of the oils is the first step in putting you in the right headspace for the rest of the ritual." He guides Noctis through the door and into a large stone room, with a pool built into the floor that has steam rising from it. There's a waterfall on the other side of the room, flowing out of a space in the wall and down into a smaller pool, where it must drain back out.

It's the waterfall that Prompto heads for, bringing his basket along. He holds out his hand when he gets there and says, "Hand me the robe."

"Are you going to watch me bathe?"

"I'm going to _help_ you bathe. That's the job. I've only done it in practice before, but it's not every day you purify a King of Light. Don't worry, I won't steal your virtue."

"Not like there's much virtue left to steal," Noctis replies, although that's not entirely true. He's kept to the restrictions on his virginity, but there's a lot that can be done without violating those rules. A lot that _has_ been done, mostly in the name of his education, preparing him to become the perfect companion, and Prompto knows that as one of his practice partners. He slips off the robe and hands it to Prompto, then follows his instruction and steps into the freezing waterfall.

Prompto washes him thoroughly with a salt scrub and a firmly bristled brush. When he's done, he leads Noct shivering out of the waterfall to the pool. The oils go in first, while Noctis rubs his arms to try to warm them up. As the sweet scent of sylleblossoms rises up from the water, Prompto waves him in. The temperature change is almost too much, and he has to ease into the pool one inch at a time so that he doesn't feel like his skin's going to boil off. Prompto just laughs at him.

"Alright, buddy. You sit there and soak and breathe. The sylleblossom oil is for relaxation and to make you open and receptive to the Crystal. The others are to start the purification process for your body, and to make your skin nice and soft. I'm going to go check on Lady Lunafreya, and I'll be back in about half an hour. You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks," Noctis says, sinking lower into the water. There are flower petals floating on the surface, and despite the nervous tension he's been carrying since the day started, he finds himself relaxing into the heat. Purification is what he's here for, and that means letting go of everything so he can be solely focused on completing the ritual with his husband.

He lets himself daydream while he soaks, imagining what it will be like to finally lose the rest of his virginity. He's always imagined his husband to be big and muscular like Gladio, but maybe he'll be smaller and wiry like Prompto, or elegant like Ignis. Will he want to take him straight away, skipping all of the foreplay in favor of the main event? Or will he want to see how Noctis can please him first, and only if he does a good job of it move on? Noctis thinks he'll be able to impress his husband. He _wants_ to impress his husband, whether it's with fighting or with sucking his cock, not just because it's his duty and the crystal said so, but because the Accursed is his soulmate.

***

The sanctuary is lit by a thousand candles, flickering around the edges of the chamber and along the dais even as electric fairy lights circle the ceiling. Noctis hardly notices, too busy stuck between self-consciousness and excitement. Luna stands beside him, clad in the white gown of her office, and raises her trident to command silence.

"We come together this day," she says, her voice echoing throughout the sanctuary, "to celebrate the betrothal of the King of Light and the Accursed. In three days' time, the King of Light will make the pilgrimage to Steyliff Grove and be wed to the Accursed, bringing balance to the universe and holding the daemons at bay."

Luna picks up a crown of sylleblossoms, and Noctis kneels so she can place it on his head. "Noctis Lucis Caelum, do you enter freely into this engagement?"

"I do," he says, his voice sounding strange and far away.

"Then let the covenant be sealed," Luna says. She slams the trident into the altar, and a bubble of white light spills forth from it, briefly illuminating the sanctuary so brightly he can hardly see. He rises to resounding applause.

After, when he's standing in a receiving line with Luna at the altar, his father comes up to him and pulls him into a tight hug. "Walk tall, my son," Regis says, clapping him on the shoulder. "The line of Lucis goes with you."

"I will," Noctis says. "And I'll be back before you know it."

"I'm sure you will," Regis says, and gives his shoulder another squeeze. He looks like he wants to say more, but he only smiles and turns away.

***

"Officially engaged!" Prompto says, slinging his arm around Noctis's shoulders. "How's it feel? Are you excited?"

Noctis shrugs. "I guess," he says, though he's sure Prompto can tell that the answer is yes. He's been groomed for this his entire life, and now that the moment is approaching, his nervousness is turning into restless energy. "Yeah," he confesses when Prompto raises an eyebrow at him, "I am."

"Good! It's not every day you get to meet your soulmate." Prompto leads him to a large chamber, with a small pallet in the middle and candles all around. "This is the purification chamber. You're going to be in here for the next three days, until it's time for the procession." Prompto shows him the facilities, but Noctis is mostly just grateful to have his friend with him. 

"Okay," Prompto says eventually. "No more solid food. You can have liquids today and tomorrow, but nothing but water on the third day until the ritual."

"That sounds awful," Noctis complains.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but you wanna be purified, this is how you've gotta do it. There's a purge on the third day too, you know, to, uh. Make sure you're clean on the inside."

"Are you serious?" Noctis asks, incredulous.

"Totally. But don't worry, by then the incense will have you happy as a clam, so there's nothing to worry about. Just think! You're gonna get married, keep the daemons from taking over, _and_ get laid. Pretty sweet deal."

". . . And become immortal and doomed to live underground for a thousand years once I'm widowed," Noctis says, though that's such a strange concept that he can't quite wrap his mind around it.

"I'll come visit you," Prompto offers, though Noctis can see in his eyes that the idea weighs on him too. "And then the crystal will mark someone else, and you'll get to live not just _one_ life with a soulmate, but _two_. That's twice what the rest of us get, if we even get one."

There are a lot of questions Noctis still has, things that his dad told him not to worry about though he can't help himself. He's an only child. Once the Accursed dies and Noctis takes up the mantle, he won't be ruling the country anymore. Who's going to succeed him? Will his dad have to have another baby? Will Noctis need to produce an heir before his husband dies? He asked Ignis about this, a couple of times, but Ignis said that it would all depend on what happens once he's married.

"What am I supposed to do for the next two days? Just sit in this room and stare at the wall?"

Prompto rolls his eyes and shoves him. " _No_ , dude, you're going to meditate and study the sacred texts. And you can do some training if you want, but I wouldn't recommend too much because of the whole liquid diet thing. Definitely not on the third day, you'll need to save your strength for the ritual." He pulls open a curtain that's covering one wall to reveal an elaborate fresco of the legends of the Accursed and the crystal, then opens a chest and takes out a thick book which he sets reverently on a pedestal. "Commune with the crystal, buddy. I'll be back in a couple hours with some broth and water." He lights an incense stick on his way out and gives Noctis a cheery wave.

Commune with the crystal. Okay, Noctis thinks, settling down cross-legged in the middle of the floor and closing his eyes. He'll try his best.

***

Noctis wakes up slowly on the dawn of the third day. There are hands on him, shaking him gently, and he groans and rolls over, vague dreams of gods and daemons slipping away from him.

"Come on, Noct," Prompto is saying, though Noctis hears it only dimly. "Today's the day."

Noctis blinks groggily. His mind is fuzzy from the progressive purification and the incense he's been breathing in for the past two days. There's a cup held to his lips, and he drinks deeply, cool water soothing his throat. He tries to say thank you, but his tongue is thick in his mouth and it comes out as a grunt.

"You with me, buddy?" Prompto asks. Noctis is finally aware enough to nod his head, running a hand through his hair. "Great, you're doing great. Just gotta get through the day today, and then you'll be getting married. This morning we're going to finish the purification, then you'll meditate with Lady Lunafreya. When she thinks you're ready, we'll get you dressed up and all set for your wedding night."

Right, the wedding night. Noctis was already hard when he woke up, just from the time of day, but his cock throbs a little when he realizes that in just a few hours, he's finally going to be going to bed with his husband, who he's been preparing for his whole life. Something must show on his face, because Prompto laughs and says, "Yeah, thought you'd be excited about that part. Come on, let's get you purified."

***

By afternoon, Noctis is a little dizzy from lack of food and the smoke he's been breathing nonstop. Prompto and Luna wear veils across their faces to keep the worst of it out, but Noctis is made to lean over the brazier and take deep breaths, leaving him lightheaded and sensitive. Everything seems so much, the dim flickering candlelight surrounded by bright halos, the sound of his own breathing loud in his ears, the touch of fabric against his skin raising goosebumps. His movement and reflexes are somehow sharpened, as if time is slowing down and he's the only one moving full speed.

Luna takes his face in both her hands, and touches her forehead to his, murmuring the words of a prayer. He can feel the warm glow of her magic suffusing him, preparing him, clearing any impurities from his body as it floods through him. Finally, she presses her lips to his brow and sits back on her heels, both of them kneeling in the purification chamber. "Are you ready, King of Light?" she asks, her voice resonant and echoing off the stone walls.

"I am," he says, all his nerves blown away by the long hours of meditation and the incense smoke.

Smiling, Luna rises and helps him to his feet. "Then my calling is fulfilled. Let us prepare for your wedding."

***

They wash him again, in perfumed water, gentle hands cleaning him all over and then drying him with warm, fluffy towels. His hair is combed and styled, and he's dressed all in black silks, an old-fashioned button-down shirt with ruffled cuffs and loose pants. He'll go barefoot to his husband, but not unadorned. Prompto and the other acolytes slide silver bangles and diamond bracelets onto his wrists, warrior's anklets on his ankles, and a black choker with a star pendant around his neck. He's anointed with lavender oil and purified salt, and a circlet is set upon his brow.

The incense braziers fill the room with cloying smoke, and all the acolytes have their faces covered to protect them from it. It's a different scent, this time, something spicier, something that makes him feel giddy and restless. His vision swims as he's led out of the purification chamber and through the halls of the sanctuary, and then suddenly he's outside, the cool night air making all the hairs on his arms and neck stand up. The noise of the city is muted, but present, and a crowd has gathered to watch their procession.

Noctis has no thoughts for the city he's leaving, though, his mind focused only on the ritual he's about to complete. The Chief Acolyte of the Accursed, Luna's brother Ravus, joins her at the head of their procession, and Noctis dimly notes Gladio and Ignis falling into step behind him as they board the airship that will take them to Steyliff Grove -- that will take him to his husband.

Aboard the ship, Noctis kneels on a small cushion as Luna and her brother perform the wedding ceremony, affirming the balance between light and dark and calling for the gods' blessings upon their union. A decorated chalice is held to his lips, and Noctis drinks in sweet wine, feeling it burn all the way down to his empty belly. Luna places a piece of a spiced and honeyed cake on his tongue; Noctis swallows greedily. She feeds him the cake piece by piece, with each bite praying for a sweet union, until the whole thing is gone and Noctis is starting to feel hot, his oversensitized skin tingling every time the silk of his clothing moves. He struggles with the desire to move, his body jittery with held-back energy.

"It won't be long, now," Luna tells him, but Noctis doesn't need her to. He _knows_ , he can feel their approach, like the star on his hand is pulling him toward his fate.

They're met at the landing site by the acolytes and priests and priestesses in training who have prepared the way for them. Noctis walks tall along the path strewn with flower petals and lit by evenly spaced torches, his whole body thrumming with excitement. Children dance and sing, chimes from finger cymbals ringing out as he walks barefoot through the darkness. The dirt path changes into a wooden one, a walkway raised above the swampy ground to allow the Accursed's acolytes to bring him food and drink and offerings.

At the foot of the staircase, the procession halts, the music continuing as Noctis ascends alone to the entrance to the Accursed's lair. He steps inside, and the stone door slides shut behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Deep in the ruins of Steyliff Grove, the Accursed raises his head from his contemplation of an ancient text he's read a hundred times. A tonberry scurries into the room excitedly, and he stands and stretches his arms. "Another one?" he asks, patting the tonberry on the head. "I suppose it's been a hundred years or so since the last. Perhaps they've forgotten the state I left her body in."

Still, as he makes his way up through the levels of his domain toward the surface, he spreads his awareness. The impressions filter back to him through the peering eyes of his daemons: a procession, torchlight bright enough to make the imps and goblins wince away. As they approach, there's an itch somewhere deep in his chest, the hint of a feeling long forgotten. A frown turns his lips.

He waits in the hall outside the antechamber, melting into the shadows, as the door to his domain opens. The young man who enters doesn't seem bothered by the door sliding shut behind him with finality; he merely looks about the room, then kneels. "Accursed," he says, his voice firm, "I joyfully enter into our union. Accept me, and be freed."

Brows drawing together, Ardyn studies the man before him. He's beautiful, there's no denying it, his body lithe and features fine, dark hair falling just into his eyes. His bare feet are dirty from the trek through the swamp, but that doesn't detract from his finery.

He knows the ritual words. The last one hadn't.

The itch in his chest grows stronger.

"Who are you, to offer yourself to the Lord of Daemons?" he asks, projecting his voice so the man won't know from whence it comes.

Head jerking up, the young man's lips curve into an eager smile. Oh, they've done well with this one, preparing him fully in accordance with the ritual. "Noctis Lucis Caelum," he says in that soft, confident voice, "son of Regis Lucis Caelum, and chosen of the crystal."

Noctis's eyes are a striking slate blue. Adjusting his hat, Ardyn steps out into the dim light of the antechamber. "And how," he says conversationally, "am I to verify that? Do you know how many have come here, claiming to be chosen?" That the man before him is a Caelum, he has no doubt; he looks far too much like Somnus not to be his descendant.

Noctis stands, looking about before his eyes settle on Ardyn's. As their eyes meet, the itch turns into a tug in a way he hasn't felt for a thousand years. Noctis holds out his hand, displaying the mark drawn on its back. "The crystal gave me my soulmark when I was five," he says. "Don't you feel it?" There's heat in Noctis's eyes, and Ardyn finds himself remembering a day a millennium ago, when he himself was giddy and hot with the effects of the ritual incense and cake, and beautiful Aera had welcomed him into her arms.

Noctis walks forward, surprising Ardyn with his daring. "I've been preparing for this my whole life," he says. "Waiting for the day I'd give myself to you. Is there a name I can call you other than 'Accursed?'"

Ardyn chuckles. It's not a nice sound. "Ardyn," he says. "You may call me Ardyn."

***

"Ardyn," Noctis repeats, looking as if it's the best thing he's ever heard. "You can test me, if you want. I've been training for this."

"Training, hmm?" He looks the young man over, taking in his slightly glassy eyes and the telltale bulge at the front of his silk pants. "And what sort of training prepares you to become the bridegroom of the Accursed?"

Noctis licks his lips, and Ardyn finds his gaze drawn to that pink tongue as it moves. "All sorts of training," he says in Old Lucian. "Language, history, customs from your time." He raises a hand, and Ardyn watches as he materializes a sword in a burst of crystalline light, confirming his connection to the crystal and his heritage. "Fighting, in case that's what you want." The sword disappears, and Noctis lowers his hand, his gaze traveling over Ardyn's body in the kind of slow, heated assessment he hasn't felt in ages. "Sex."

Raising an eyebrow, Ardyn says in modern Lucian, "What, you didn't come virgin to your wedding?" He clucks his tongue.

Noctis blushes beautifully, but he meets Ardyn's gaze head on in a way only the bravest or most foolhardy mortals would. "I'm still a virgin," he says vehemently, "in all the ways that count."

Ardyn summons his own sword, then holds it out toward Noctis, tapping the point of it on his chest. "Tell me what it is you really want," he says. "Fame? Riches? To save the life of your poor, dear grandmother who's beset by daemons?"

Noctis doesn't flinch. That's a point in his favor, Ardyn supposes. "I want to restore the balance of light and darkness, as the crystal chose me to do," he says firmly. Then, with that blush again, "And . . . I really, really want you to fuck me right now."

How delightfully _unexpected_ this young man is. Ardyn finds his interest piqued, more than it has been in centuries. How far will this man go to prove himself? How far will he need to be pushed before he runs? Taking a step back, Ardyn decides he may as well go for the throat, so to speak. He draws back his arm and strikes, swinging his sword hard enough to cleave Noctis in two.

Somehow, despite the aphrodisiacs and what's probably several days of fasting, Ardyn's sword is parried by Noctis's own, pulled from thin air in the nick of time. Noctis is watching him intently, pressing his sword hard against Ardyn's. Ardyn's lips curl into something between a smirk and a sneer. He swings again, and is blocked again. Again, and again.

"You're persistent," he says. "I'll give you that."

"I'd rather go straight to the consummation," Noctis says. "But if you want a fight, I'll give you one."

Noctis attacks this time, and though Ardyn deflects him easily, he finds his adrenaline rising. This is far more fun than butchering the last so-called chosen one. Still, while Noctis puts forth a valiant effort, Ardyn overpowers him eventually, shoving him back into the stone wall of the antechamber and bringing his sword up to Noctis's throat.

He's not entirely sure why he doesn't kill him right then, but when Noctis's eyes go dark and he pushes his body back against Ardyn's, Ardyn finds himself responding in kind.

"Accept me, and be freed," Noctis repeats, looking him unflinchingly in the eye. There's a pull in his chest again, and when Ardyn lowers the sword and touches Noctis's cheek with his bare fingers, the connection blasts through his body. It's a rush of heat that pushes past every barrier he's erected around his heart in the past millennium, reawakening pathways he thought long closed.

Ardyn jerks away, staring at the man before him. It couldn't be, not after all these years--

Could it?

"You felt it, didn't you?" Noctis says, stepping forward. "You know I'm telling the truth." Ardyn only resists backing away by the sheer force of will, as Noctis comes to a halt inches from him. "Accept me, and be freed."

"You don't know the first thing about me," Ardyn says, his voice rough. "I have lived in darkness for _ages_!"

"You're right," Noctis says, standing his ground. "I don't. Until you're free, you suffer alone. But I can bring you out of that darkness, out of solitude, out of emptiness."

"Can you?" Ardyn asks sarcastically, though a part of him says: yes, he can. When he'd entered this underground kingdom, all those years ago, Aera had been living in it for over a hundred years. She'd accepted him, and regained her mortality. He'd watched her grow old as he stayed forever young, his own aging slowed to a crawl. He'd said goodbye to her on that final day, watched her stagger out into the sunlight, sacrificing his own final moments with her to give her one last taste of the sun.

She'd been freed. And he'd been trapped.

"I can," Noctis says. "Accept me, and be freed."

Whether it's the promise of freedom, a desire to doom another as he himself was doomed, or simple lust, Ardyn will never be quite certain. But he leans in, just a fraction of an inch, and their lips meet.

***

He has Noctis up against the wall of the antechamber, the first time, grinding against him while Noctis pants and clings to his shoulders, because Noctis can't wait any longer and Ardyn likes the way he looks when he's desperate. They both make a mess of their pants, and leave them discarded on the floor when Ardyn leads Noctis deeper into his underground castle. Noctis seems caught between wanting to look around at his surroundings and not wanting to take his eyes off of Ardyn. There'll be plenty of time to allow him to explore later, though. Ardyn leads Noctis to one of the opulent bedrooms, where he throws his remaining clothes to the floor without a care, and, before Ardyn can decide what to do with him, falls to his knees and takes Ardyn's cock into his mouth.

Noctis is enthusiastic and highly skilled, and Ardyn's body feels alive in a way it hasn't in centuries. "I practiced this a lot," Noctis says, pulling back and licking up the underside of his cock. "They figured as long as it wasn't _my_ dick I'd still be a virgin."

Ardyn chuckles at that, then moans when Noctis takes him deep again. "A skill to please the most temperamental of lords, indeed. Did they think this was how you would entice me to accept you?"

"It's working, isn't it?"

Ardyn pulls back, then picks Noctis up and throws him onto the bed. He's not going to admit that Noctis is right, but he _will_ take the sacrifice Noctis is offering him. If he's not the chosen one, then he'll be none the worse off for having spent the night indulging in the pleasures of the body. And if he is, then the curse Ardyn has been living under for a thousand years will be over. Noctis grabs at his shoulders and wraps his legs around Ardyn's waist, arching up into him, and Ardyn lets him. He lets Noctis kiss him, touch him, his hands everywhere as Noctis succumbs to the drugs in his system and the years of being denied the full range of sexual experiences and begs prettily to be fucked.

He pins down his sacrifice and kisses him hard as his hand delves between his legs, finding Noctis slick and open from the preparations the temple put him through. "Do it," Noctis pleads. "Fuck me, I'm ready, I want it, _please!_ " Noctis is beautiful beneath him, eager and responsive, and Ardyn takes his virginity like it's his due. He doesn't hesitate when he's gotten into position, just thrusts in in one smooth stroke. Noctis _wails_ , his thighs trembling at Ardyn's hips and his fingernails digging into Ardyn's shoulders, and as Ardyn starts to move, the magic of the crystal rises up around them, streams of blue light crackling between them and lighting up the mark on Noctis's hand and on Ardyn's own heart.

It takes Ardyn by surprise, somehow, although it shouldn't, not after the feeling that touching Noctis's bare skin gave him. "Accept me," Noctis pants, as Ardyn's hips slam into his, his climax drawing closer, "and be-- freed--" He trails off into a moan, head tipping back into the pillows as his heels dig into Ardyn's back. The blue glow grows brighter, and the pink light of the magic of the underworld rises to join it, seeping from Ardyn's skin in a crimson wave as he sucks marks into the soft flesh of Noctis's neck.

"I accept you," Ardyn breathes, and they come together in a dizzying rush of heat and magic and pleasure. In that moment, Ardyn sees the core of Noctis's being, and knows he's seen in return.

***

"Do you regret it?" Ardyn asks on the fifth day, when Noctis is trailing his fingers over the spines of books written centuries before he was born.

Noctis does him the favor of not pretending to misunderstand. His face is solemn when he turns to Ardyn, and Ardyn feels the tug of emotion in his chest through their new bond. "How could I regret saving the world?" he asks. Coming closer, he reaches out to brush Ardyn's hair back from his face in a gesture nobody has made for him in a thousand years. "How could I regret saving you?"

"The soul bond clouds your judgement. You've no concept of what it means to be the Accursed."

"Maybe not. I can only imagine how hard it must be, to keep living when everyone you know dies, and then to have them forget you. To have to hide from the sun." Noctis's gaze turns inward. "I can't say I'm looking forward to that part. But to get to live two lives with a soulmate, and make sure your people are safe? That's a pretty good exchange, don't you think? You must have, when you came down here."

In the thousand years he's been in the dark, Ardyn has forgotten what people are like. Noctis is an enigma to him, an echo of a self long lost. He does remember, willingly sacrificing himself so that others might live, and the lifetime he spent with Aera. And now, the promise of a lifetime with this earnest and kind husband, who might be able to return him to the person he used to be. "I hope, for you, it will not be a thousand years before your next soulmate arrives."

Noctis's lips turn up. "It probably just took so long because you did too good a job of holding back the daemons. I'll let them start rampaging a few years after you go, and the crystal will get impatient."

Ardyn laughs and draws Noctis into his arms. He still knows himself to be a creature more of darkness than of light, but maybe, just maybe, Noctis can change that.

***

"It's the seventh day," Gladio says, his voice low and angry. "If Noct doesn't come out of there soon, I just might--"

"Might what?" Ignis asks. "Challenge the Accursed to a duel? Demand he give Noctis back? As much as I understand what you're feeling, Gladio, we simply have no recourse."

"He'll come back," Prompto says, his voice certain. "There hasn't been any new daemonic activity since the night he went in there. That means the Accursed accepted him."

"Then where the hell is he?" Gladio frowns at the closed door of the castle ruins. "There's only half an hour until sundown, and then the Acolyte of the Accursed will go in and pull out whatever's left of him."

"Noctis will return to us," Lunafreya says calmly. "He will prove himself worthy."

As if on cue, the stone door slides open, and Noctis walks out, wearing the most old-fashioned clothing Gladio has ever seen and smiling like an idiot. "About time," Gladio grunts, yanking Noctis into a hug. Ignis is waiting when he releases him, then Prompto, then Lunafreya.

"Is it done?" Lunafreya asks.

"Yeah," Noctis says. "Ardyn said he'd keep his end of the bargain."

"Ardyn?" Ignis asks. "Is that the Accursed's name?"

"Ardyn Lucis Caelum," Noctis says, "the Founder King's brother. He's, um. Really tall." Noctis scratches the back of his neck, blushing; Gladio groans and rolls his eyes.

"Told you," Prompto says, grinning and slinging an arm over Noctis's shoulders. "You're gonna be pining away for your soulmate the whole time you're up here."

***

It's a midsummer evening, and King Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV is humming to himself as he strolls along the wooden walkway in Steyliff Grove. A tonberry scuttles by and Noctis greets it fearlessly. The path is well-lit these days, but the torches are less frequent closer to the entrance to the Accursed's domain, in deference to his creatures' sensitivity to light. His Shield is behind him a ways, close enough to help if help is needed but far enough to give him some privacy as he makes the pilgrimage he's been looking forward to for the past six months.

The stone door opens smoothly, allowing Noctis to enter his second home. The antechamber is empty. Noctis passes it by, walking down the hall to the chambers beyond. He can feel that his husband is waiting for him just as eagerly.

He finds the Accursed in the sitting room, feet kicked up on a stool and a book in his hand. "Ah," Ardyn says with a smile, "welcome home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to my betas and cheerleaders misswonderheart, dustofwarfare, freosan, and introductory!


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